Follow & Subscribe!

Search This Blog

Posts

I'm debating whether or not to hide the cover of the paperback novel I'm currently reading whenever I go out in public.

The cover art for Libba Bray's Beauty Queens features the toned torso of a buxom blonde armed with dozens of lipsticks. Right away, it screams "trashy beach read," and one would be correct in judging this easy-breezy book by its eye-catching cover. The truth of the matter is this: it's an unabashed piece of summery literature that's slightly smarter than it looks...

Beauty Queens is about a group of plane crash survivors trapped on a deserted island. It just so happens that these survivors are the scantily-clad contestants of the Miss Teen Dream pageant, a televised event sponsored by "The Corporation," a large conglomerate that basically controls everything in the world.

The over-the-top yet wonderfully paced book serves 396 pages of delicious satire. Everything about it -- the clueless characters, the sharp dialogue, the WTF-…

Remember when I went to Mexico for the first time back in February?
My travel feature for Instinct Magazine has finally been published for the August/September issue (now at newsstands).
Many thanks to the crew at the Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta -- some of whom are new Facebook friends of mine -- and everyone else at Riviera Nayarit who provided some excellent hospitality (I'm still dreaming about that spa day and wet bar).
You can read the online version HERE, or you can see more pretty pictures, support the endangered species of print media, and go pick up a copy. @TheFirstEcho

On Thursday morning, I shall pack the Prius and drive south to a land filled with magical realms, stone-faced gatekeepers, costumed revelers, and god-like figures.

On Thursday morning I will be heading to Comic-Con. I look forward to three days filled with magical realms (Hall H), stone-faced gatekeepers (stressed-out publicists), costumed revelers (virginal cosplayers), and god-like figures (hotshot actors who have never touched a comic book).

It's my seventh trip to the fanboy Mecca, and I am taking all of the necessary physical and mental precautions before I subject myself to the sensory overload and chaos that is the San Diego Convention Center and neighboring hotels and venues.

I've been hitting the elliptical machine at the gym so that my legs can withstand the powerwalking I will have endure in between panels, press events, and parties. And I am reminding myself of the sacrifices I may be forced to make while I'm down there. Damn you, Black Orphan, for scheduling …

It's called The Language of Love, and the young man featured here is Kim Ho, an Australian student who wrote the following heart-melting monologue that is more resonant and poignant than any other coming-of-age feature film in recent memory.
Take the 9 minutes to sit down and press play.

I've been an avid reader-subscriber-follower of Entertainment Weekly for nearly two decades now, and I like to think that my tastes in pop culture closely resemble those found in the pages of this magazine I consider my bible.

That's why I was particularly excited to pick up a copy and devour its latest double-issue, The 100 All-Time Greatest (in movies, TV, music, books, and more).

While I proudly stand by most of EW's rankings (Buffy the Vampire Slayer coming in at #8? Duh), my heart is a little crushed by some glaring omissions (not a single Agatha Christie title in their book list? Not even And Then There Were None?). They can defend themselves all they want, but still!

Regardless, while absorbing every title on every list, I've noticed something interesting.

Most of the Greatest Movies of All-Time were made before 1980 (76% of them, in fact) while a number of the Greatest TV Shows of All-Time premiered after 1990 (60%). What does this say about th…

Just in time to celebrate America's 237th birthday on this spectacular 4th of July, singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee is giving us "American Girl," a piece of pop trifle that's smarter than it looks...er, sounds.

McKee, who's written a crapload of giant hits for Katy Perry (nearly the entire Teenage Dream album), Britney ("Hold It Against Me"), Ke$ha ("C'Mon"), and Adam Lambert ("Cuckoo," "Chokehold"), is finally getting her chance in front of the mic after being responsible for selling over 25 million singles around the world.

And you probably still have no idea who the hell she is.

"American Girl," her debut single from her upcoming major release, has all the makings of a radio hit: Dr. Luke-produced theatrics, a rebellious tone that rivals Ke$ha's glitter-covered oeuvre, and an irresistible chorus that simultaneously celebrates and condemns what it means to be a young female in the United States during the…

I always look back at 1997 as a favorite year of mine. Back then it was cool to listen to Celine Dion, The Gap was relevant, and in high school, I kicked some major speech-and-debate ass.

And now that the pop culture gods over at The Peterson YouTube channel have created his beyond-awesome compilation, I can fondly smile, laugh, and cringe at the 365 days during which I started to come out of my shell and embrace the pop culture junkie I was slowly becoming. After all, who doesn't love a little nostalgia?

Behold (Don't fret...Savage Garden comes in at the 7-minute mark):

And yes, the Macarena and Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" was from 1996. Get over it.@TheFirstEcho

Who is The First Echo?

Hiko Mitsuzuka is a self-proclaimed pop culture connoisseur who resides in L.A. and obsesses over pop songs months before everyone else does.
Hiko has worked in TV and commercial production ever since he left his native New York in the early aughts. He has worked at the world-renowned Anonymous Content and freelanced as a treatment writer for award-winning directors, a contributing writer for Instinct, and the Executive Editor of Hotter in Hollywood. Hiko can currently be seen in the roles of Manager of Creative Planning at Stun Creative (PromaxBDA's Agency of the Year, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018), film critic for ScreenPicks, entertainment and travel journalist for Bello Mag, and contributor for The Huffington Post.
His hobbies include quoting sitcom dialogue and stalking people on Instagram. His vices include chocolate chip cookies and movie theater popcorn.
Tweet him @TheFirstEcho.